The Last Living Banchou
by TitaniumWyvern
Summary: [Banchou of the Dead prequel story] Komuro Takashi was probably the only banchou left after the Showa era. When he was forced into the world of delinquents under unfortunate circumstances, his legend started; not in the battlefield, but on the riverbank in an unassuming autumn evening.


**A.N.: **Greetings one and all. This is a companion story to 'Banchou of the Dead'; it is basically a prequel that tells the years from Takashi's involvement to the delinquent world all the way to Z-day. Unlike 'Banchou of the Dead', this story will feature many OCs, mainly because Highschool of the Dead does not have many named characters who have their backstories. I might use some minor characters from the canon, like the balding company executive in Taihei shopping center.

**Chapter 1: A Bancho is born**

_Arakawa river side_

It was a rather normal autumn evening. The air was still warm even though summer had ended, yet most schools had had their students wear their winter uniforms. With the sun just about to set, the sky was orange as if a great fire raged in the heavens.

If it were a love comedy or a romantic story, one Komuro Takashi would have met a girl that he would fall in love with at first sight. Unfortunately, this is not one such story. You see, instead of meeting a beautiful girl whom he would confess to after dozens of chapters telling roundabout daily activity, he would meet instead 10 well known delinquents from Kawagoe.

These 10 people who had proudly christened themselves "Enryuugun" (Flame dragon army) came from Kousen high; a well-known private high school with various characters. It just so happened that these 10 are the bottom feeders. Cowardly punks who didn't dare to mess with anyone remotely close to a teacher, yet would threaten anyone as if they were yakuza.

"Yer Sakamoto, right? Sakamoto Takashi." Their spokesperson said. An old looking young lad with a face more fitting on a bulldog with sagging cheeks than on a human, and a bright red mohawk similar to a chicken cockscomb, who shall hence be called Bull-chicken. Like several other private highs, they don't wear a gakuran, but a blazer. Their uniforms were a dark red blazer over a white shirt and darker brown pants.

"The Takashi's right. But my family name is Komuro." He said as he let his bag fall to the ground. He was actually sleepy, but sensing danger from the group immediately sobered him up.

"What? Yer tryin' to trick us? Well that ain't gonna work! Coz I know fer sher that yer Sakamoto!"

"Yea? Prove it."

"Well, we really do have no proof, boss. What if we got the wrong guy?" a member of the Enryuugun asked bull-chicken. This one had a pronounced overbite that gave him the perfect chicken look. He shall be named Chicken-1.

"EEEEII! SHUT UP! Do 'em in!" the boss yelled.

The 10 boys with red mohawks charged forward without any semblance of strategy. It was to be expected, really; after all, they got him outnumbered. What could he do anyway?

The Enryuugun didn't expect Takashi to even out the playing field by fighting dirty. As they charged, he took a fistful of sand and scattered it to their eyes. Given the sudden distraction, the foremost charger was struck the most and halted as he screamed in pain.

Given their numbers, it would actually be better if they try to surround him and then attack together. If he hadn't pulled that trick, he might really had been surrounded and consequently fucked up.

Though the sand trick couldn't stall as many people as he'd hoped, it was enough for Takashi to turn the tables. With a single stride, he flanked them on their right side and began the counter attack.

As one of the cockscomb punks was furiously rubbing his eyes to get the sand out; Takashi ducked, clenched his left fist with his middle finger's knuckle stuck out and struck a vicious uppercut under the armpit. The pain was enough to disable him for a few seconds, which Takashi capitalized on. He took a half step to the side, then used his left hand to position his opponent's right arm and held the hand firmly with his right. Without missing a beat he took another half step to the right, executing a perfect ikkyo.

As the other 9 Enryuugun's approached, he switched his technique; his rear foot took a step forward, and he turned using the balls of his left foot. With the centrifugal force present, he let go and sent him rolling like a bowling ball.

The attack took 3 people out of commission; the one that was thrown, and 2 others who were thrown at. Though not severe, they each got a concussion that would land them a hospital stay.

The other 6 charged forwards and started to circle around Takashi, while bull-chicken stayed behind with his arms crossed. Their aim was to surround him enough then either blindside him or grab him then pummel him. One of them flicked out a switchblade and attacked from the front. His purpose was to disorient Takashi then lead him to their trap.

With a few wild swings, he started to herd Takashi to one of the other Enryuugun members. The lone student finally saw an opening after a stab and stepped forward with his right hand leading knife hand away and his left throwing a small but strong hook to the jaw.

Taking advantage of the disorientation, he then grabbed the mohawked teen's right wrist with his left, spun on his heel and then sharply twisted the hand. The wristlock threw the brightly colored punk a few meters away, broke the elbow and wrist while his shoulder was dislocated. With a strangled, painful cry, he too was knocked out.

6 more enemies; their biggest guy was not the leader, but just an ordinary low ranked grunt who was tasked with holding Komuro Takashi in place so the others can take a shot at him. The biggest member of Enryuugun was suddenly behind him and tried to do a bear hug, but couldn't as Takashi rotated his arms outward then grabbed his left hand and twisted it harshly as he moved under the mohawked boy's arm.

With a small rotation of his hips, Takashi let go, sending the thug rolling back and flat on his back. Seeing their mistake, the remaining five decided to surround him from all directions. This was when they made another fatal mistake. Given his fighting style and techniques, they all assumed he was only proficient in aikido.

What they didn't know was that he was also skilled in other martial arts and demonstrated it by throwing a superman punch to the guy closest to him, the one to his left who happened to be Chicken-1. The attack was thrown to his face and when it connected, it made a loud sickening squelch as Takashi's fist broke his nose, cheekbones, and dislodged a few teeth.

One of them approached Takashi from behind, intent on blind siding him. What he didn't expect was for his legs to be swept under him and getting a shoe to his face.

Another one charged forward from the side with a haymaker only to get hit with a brain rattling uppercut. The Enryuugun member's movement was stopped, but his arm was still extended. With that, Takashi grasped it with his left hand, grabbed his belt and threw him with a koshi-nage (hip throw).

The last one other than bull-chicken stopped his advance and instead put up a muay thai stance; slowly inching forwards.

"I see you're a little bit better than these chumps." Takashi commented as he pointed to the unconscious and groaning punks.

Without saying anything, he lunged forward with a flying knee to Takashi's head. Slightly surprised, he couldn't dodge the attack completely and got grazed on his left forearm that he used to block when he sidestepped. Seeing a chance, he retaliated with a right hook to the body that caught the punk squarely on the kidney. Feeling immense pain, he dropped forwards and Takashi continued with another hook to the cheek; ending the brief exchange with a bruised and almost swollen forearm.

"Dat's 9 o' mah' guys ya' took down." Bull-chicken said. "Wit' such ease, ta'."

"I... don't... under... stand... what... you... just said." Commented a panting Takashi. He was barely injured, but the fight drained his stamina like never before. 'When I get out of this, I'm training my cardio.' He thought.

"Ah' sed..., AAAHH! Fukk eet! Eet don't maddah'. I sed yer goin' down and dat's wat's gunna happen!" he yelled before taking out a brass knuckle and a pocket knife.

Without missing a beat, bull-chicken dashed forward. His left hand with the brass knuckle lead in a straight. Takashi positioned his bruised left arm on the inside of bull-chicken's forearm, then in a single movement pushed it aside and countered with an uppercut to the chin.

Expecting the systematic counter, bull-chicken withdrew his head and attacked with a hooking stab. The target was Takashi's neck.

Feeling that his attack missed, Takashi followed up with a bodyblow with his left fist before turning his right arm down to divert the knife attack and grabbed it with his right hand. Bull-chicken's concentration was broken after the hard blow and paid for it by being the victim of the younger boy's rage.

Takashi punched bull-chicken in the chest twice, cracking his ribs and continued by stepping into the dazed punk's left side, grabbed his lapels, then twisted his hips and threw him down. However, the technique left an opening where bull-chicken sliced Takashi's right hand with his knife, further enraging the boy.

Mercilessly, Takashi stepped on bull-chicken's nose with his heel, breaking it and sending blood flying. With his bloodied right hand, Takashi who was still in his adrenaline high twisted bull-chicken's right wrist until it broke and was about to throw another punch when a whistle broke him out of his berserking state.

"You there!" the police officer called. "Drop that knife and step away from him!"

Seeing that this could end very badly for him, Takashi raised his hands with blood dripping from his right, dropping the knife in the process and waited for the drive to the police station or hospital. Come what may, he was going to face it like a man.

_Tokonosu Police Station_

Facing his problem like a man had its own rewards, Takashi concluded. He was interviewed by; well, it was more like talking smack and having fun; 2 detectives, both of them were Miyamoto Tadashi's subordinate. Being a close acquaintance, none of them were hard on him and was uncharacteristically friendly. The two cops, Yamada and Tanimura even treated him to a large katsudon which he enjoyed.

"Man, if only I were your age." the younger Yamada said in between laughs. "I would get into all sorts of shit and try to make it look like self-defense, just for free food."

"But then you'll have to spend time with some old farts before your folks pick you up." Tanimura continued. "My word, I wonder what your parents would say to you..."

"Wouldn't they say, 'get used it, son. You'll have to deal with them often.'?" Takashi replied calmly.

Both police officers looked at each other and laughed loudly, knowing the young man's family and their antics. When they were about to continue, another police officer knocked on the interrogation room's door.

"Well, looks like we got another guy to interview." Tanimura commented as he stood up and straightened his suit jacket.

"And for formality's sake, try to keep out of trouble." Yamada continued as he pointed at Takashi.

"Or not." all three said suddenly as they laughed together.

"But seriously kid, be good, okay?"

"And say hi to your folks for me."

"Got it, ossan."

xxxx

_Waiting room_

After the interview, Takashi walked to a waiting area that doubled as the officers' break room. Given that it was almost 7 at night, the area was understandably quiet. Despite its proximity to the Tokyo metropolitan area, a small-ish town like Tokonosu, had very few cases of criminal activity that were newspaper worthy. At worst there were vandalism, petty theft, and some brawling but that was it.

Seeing the row of vending machines and various refreshments it offered, the boy opted for a bottle of barley tea and sat down on one of the benches.

Not long afterwards, a girl around his age was escorted by a female officer with short hair black inside. They exchanged a few words before the girl bowed at the female officer who awkwardly bowed back. She then waved goodbye at her and the girl sat down not far from Takashi.

The girl was a real beauty, he surmised. A lean, heart shaped face, with long purple hair in a ponytail that reached her back and shone like amethyst. Her bright blue eyes looked sharp and ready, though she took conscious effort to appear frightened and shocked.

He recognized those eyes; most people he knew had them; the eyes of a hunter who looked timid and helpless at a glance, but always observing. Then once you turn your back, they would strike you down mercilessly. He was sure that he wasn't dealing with a victim, but a predator; and a dangerous one to boot.

Takashi's eyes followed the girl as she poured herself a cup of tea and sat down next to him. They quietly sipped their own beverages until they asked a question that would change their lives forever.

"So... what are you here for?" they asked simultaneously.

"Ah, I'm sorry. Please, go ahead." the purple haired girl said politely.

"No, please. After you." he replied.

"I just realized that we haven't introduced ourselves yet, have we?" she asked.

"No, not yet. I'm Komuro Takashi. Pleasure to meet you." Takashi said, holding his hand out.

"My name is Busujima Saeko. It is pleasure make your acquaintance." Saeko replied, shaking his hand.

"Are you here to visit a relative?" Takashi asked, and immediately he felt stupid for asking that. He could make an approximate guess as to her presence at the police station; none of those include visiting anyone.

"No... I... was... "

She was interrupted when 2 detectives Yamada and Tanimura entered the break room with a loud laugh. Unlike before, they also had their coats on; it seemed they were about to leave somewhere.

"Oh, Komuro. Fancy meeting you here. Not going home yet?" Tanimura asked.

"Oyaji got somebody to pick me up. He's not here yet." He replied.

"Probably that scarred guy, what's his name?"

"Ryuu? I think in every single manga or anime where there's yakuza around there's always a Ryuu-san somewhere." Yamada joked.

"No, Ryuu is the mustached guy. The one with scars is Kashima." The young man answered.

"Well, that's good then. Wouldn't want to bother you when you're flirting with your girl, eh?" the older detective teased.

"Treat her right or we'll have a problem, ok champ?"

"Right. Go have fun or whatever it is you cops do at this time a' night."

"At 11 p.m., the only thing to do is visit a hostess club!" both of them cheered and walked to the exit. "When you're older, we'll take you along."

"No need. Really. Thanks." Takashi said tiredly, waving them farewell.

Seeing the… odd scene, Saeko giggled quietly while covering her mouth with her right hand. She looked to the boy beside her and asked. "Are they your friends?"

"If you could call them that. Yamada-san and Tanimura-san are… family friends, I guess? Couldn't really tell."

"Earlier they mentioned…"

"Yakuza? Yeah, my family is one."

"That's… a surprise."

"Yeah. It gets weirder though. The police chief? He's a family friend." He stated.

"I can't imagine yakuza and policemen getting along." She said in bewilderment.

"It gets weirder. The right-wing nationalists' leader? Also family friend."

In hindsight, the city of Tokonosu was probably the only place where the three factions could not only coexist, but thrive. The circle of power went like this: the police kept the civilians in line, the yakuza scare the criminals, and the ultra-nationalists lobby the politicians. One might ask "Isn't the police more terrifying to criminals?"

The answer is no. If the police catch a criminal, they would be fined, sent to jail, or if they committed murder (and deemed necessary) then executed. However, if they were caught by the yakuza, they will lose a finger or a limb then thrown to the cops, get beaten up then thrown to the cops, or killed then thrown to the bottom of Tokyo bay. In this capacity, the yakuza acted as semi-(il)legal peace and safety enforcers.

The ultra-nationalist group (UNG) in Tokonosu actually had more clout to the political field than anywhere in Japan. The UNG headed by Takagi Souichirou actually had enough power to influence the election and any political or economic policies. This was the reason many politicians' plan using Tokonosu city was foiled before they were even complete.

And now, the fourth power that came from youth was about to make their move.

xxxx

_Same time, somewhere in the Kanto region_

Brian's was a small cafe that was built almost 30-40 years ago by a Russian who might as well have been a World War II veteran. The owner, Boyan Petrov was a mysterious old man who was fluent in Japanese, Russian, and English.

The frail looking Russian might have looked to be no older than 60, but no one knows his real age, or if he was the real Boyan Petrov who built the shop. By the locals, he was known as Bo-jii.

Currently, there were only 5 people, Bo-jii who was reading a newspaper behind the counter and 4 gruff looking teenagers. The teenagers sat down in a booth designed for 8 people, so they could lounge around quite comfortably. None of them wore uniforms and were dressed in casual clothing. Given that it was a school night it was an unusual sight; some people deduced that these kids were not good students. After 10 minutes of awkward silence, another teenager walked into the shop.

He was relatively tall for his age, almost reaching 180 cm and built like a brawler. His hair that was done in cornrows and dyed brown almost reached his neck. Even though it was school night, he did not wear a uniform nor a jersey, but a white T-shirt with black skulls on it and a pair of jeans.

"Sorry I'm late." he greeted.

"No sweat." one of the 5 replied. "We weren't talking about anything important anyway."

"That's cool. So what do you need me for?"

"Enryuugun from Kawagoe was taken out."

"The chicken crew? Who did them in?"

"An unknown guy. Rumor has it he's in Fujimi Middle High, sophomore. Average height, kinda spiky brown hair. No distinguishing features."

"So practically a shadow... And a middle-schooler. Does anybody else know?"

"My guys do." Another one said.

"Same." Said another.

"Does anybody know anything important?"

"The Enryuugun was looking for a guy named Sakamoto Takashi. For all we know, this might be the name of the guy."

"They were wrong though. Sakamoto's from Raizen in Tokyo. They got done in at Saitama."

"Maybe the guy's name is something like that 'Sakamoto Takashi'?"

"Then maybe we should look for any tough guys whose last name is Sakamoto or whose first name is Takashi?"

"We got the guys, let's do it."

"All in favor?" the apparent chairman asked.

Without saying a word, the other four raised their hands in agreement. If this guy who beat up 10 guys alone was the real deal, they could use the extra muscle.

"Then we do it. We start tomorrow."

**A.N.: **How was it? I tried to include several elements from Crows and/or Worst for this story. I hope you enjoyed reading it. Any comments given will be appreciated.

Btw, One last idea I had that I forgot to include in the 6th chapter of Banchou of the Dead:

Premise: An unfortunate traffic accident killed Takashi's father while sickness took Saeko's mother. The family left behind united under unexpected circumstances that gave Takashi an elder sister and a step-father; while Saeko gained a younger brother and a step-mother


End file.
